1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of computer systems and, more specifically, to a technique for reducing the number of events that are transmitted by a server host, e.g., in a client/server application programming interface (API).
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer systems include host computers that communicate with one another via a network to run network applications. Typically, software is distributed and run on two or more hosts to realize the applications. The network applications have application-layer protocols that define the format and order of the messages that are exchanged between the hosts, and what actions to take when a message is transmitted or received. In particular, a network application typically includes a client side and a server side. In this case, the application may be referred to as a client/server application. A client side on one host may communicate with a server side on another host. The client is usually the host that initiates a communication or session with another host.
Moreover, in a client/server application programming interface (API), the server generates events and transmits them over a network to the client. The API includes a portion run on the server and a corresponding portion run on the client. An event generally refers to an occurrence of significance to a task, such as the opening of a window or the completion of an asynchronous operation. An event may involve any significant change in the state of a system resource, network resource, or network application. An event can be generated, e.g., for a problem, for the resolution of a problem, or for the successful completion of a task. Examples of events include the normal starting and stopping of a process, the abnormal termination of a process, and the malfunctioning of a server. For instance, a storage system such as a storage server may run software that generates and communicates such events to clients that store data on the server. The IBM® Enterprise Storage Server (ESS) is an example of such a storage system.
However, performance can be reduced when many events are transmitted due to the use of processing, storage and transmission resources.